This past Saturday (October 10th) I had occasion to harvest a dandy Buck Antelope here in SW Montana. As near as I can figure it was my 60th Buck Antelope brought to bag!
I started Hunting Antelope in 1969 in Montana and shortly spread out to Hunting Antelope in BOTH Montana and Wyoming for many years thereafter.
I absolutely LOVE to Hunt Antelope. I think part of the reason I love it so much is to get out on the open prairie which is so different than hilly overgrown brushy can't see 100 yards country where I grew up and learned to Hunt there on the west slopes of the Cascades.
Anyway this Antelope harvest was notable to me in that it was a one shot kill at the second furthest distance I have ever taken an Antelope (460 Leica lasered yards) and that I used a Rifle I bought some years ago from my life long friend Jack from Yelm, Washington.
Jack passed away this past August (2,020) and that has left a large hole in my life. I will greatly miss Big game Hunting, Varmint Hunting and fishing in Georgetown Lake with him!
Anyway I had planned to Hunt Antelope with a different Rifle this season but after Jacks passing I dug out his old Rifle (Ruger 77 MK-II V/T with 26" barrel in caliber 25/06 with Leupold 6.5x20 variable scope) - I had on hand a batch of handloaded ammunition and last week I re-sighted it in to be 3"high at 100 yards. This due to the fact I would be Hunting very open country and was anticipating the possibility of a long shot.
That turned out to be the case and the Nosler 100 grain Ballistic Tip brought down that Buck Antelope with one shot and the Buck only dashed a hundred yards before succumbing completely - no more movement.
I have never recovered a bullet "of mine" from an Antelope in all the shooting I have done! I always try to place my bullets on broadside, non-running heart/lung shots and as close a range as possible. And up til this harvest I have never recovered one of my projectiles. So I was very surprised when the VarmintWife and I were cleaning hair off of the hanging carcass and I felt a "lump" at the rear of the Bucks shoulder.
I dug out the remains of the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet which had completely separated from its core. The "mushroomed" copper weighed 46 grains when I later weighed it.
I was somewhat shocked at finding the bullet remains - only thing I can figger is that the bullets hit ribs on both sides of the carcass and the copper "jacket" got re-directed forward somehow to the start of the shoulder blade?
Anyway all the energy from that long shot got absorbed by the animal and his demise was complete in under 5 seconds.
This is the second Buck Antelope I have taken with this bullet/Rifle combo and both were one shot kills.
Lots of Hunters around here use the 25/06 Remington for Deer and Antelope and I can find no fault with that.
Long live the 25/06 Remington!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy